Oh, what a complex task is to renovate a home! It is so difficult to decide what is good enough to keep and what needs to go.

Sometimes, the only solution is to demolish everything.

You know, like Estúdio BRA did in an old house in Pinheiros district of São Paulo, and managed to transform it from a dark house into a very bright and functional home even though it is built on a narrow plot, measuring 4x24m.

Any apartment renovation is a complex task, but to renovate an apartment in a historical building is a big challenge for architects.

Dynamic between the old and the new is always present – sometimes due to financial and other times due to sentimental reasons – but in historic buildings, as architects (and owners!) we almost have the moral obligation to preserve everything worth preserving – to even enhance it.

Oh and how we love to study new ways of combining the old and the new. We love to see the story of an old apartment adapted to meet the current needs of its owners. And we know you love that, too.

We love materials. We’re not trying to keep that a secret. We love the simplicity and the complexity of them, we love textures, and tones and colours… There’s always something about that material – its unique quality which makes us fall in love.

As architects we work with materials, think about them, and constantly surrounded by all kinds of samples. It’s the best.

As you probably know by now, we love to feature amazing interiors on our blog. Interiors that are designed by architects and that are full of amazing details and smart solutions. We do think it is important to bring the architecture a bit closer to everyone, after all, we are surrounded by it, but not many of us really understand how complex it is.

Every interior we shared earlier was designed by architects we love and admire – for their clients. Their clients, who came with a list of things they wanted in their home. And to make those wishes come true is a part of architects’ job.

But today we have something a little bit different for you.

Today, we’re glad to show you an amazing apartment our friends and colleagues – architects, Lana and Nikola, designed for themselves. And we’re going to explain the background work, and smart decisions, behind that project.

We are so excited to show you the last project from one-of-our-favourites RÄS studio, apartment la Diana.

If you follow our blog for a while, you might’ve seen their amazing design in la Dominique and la Carme apartments. We almost believe it’s possible to tell how great an architectural studio is, simply by the way they name their projects.

Is your furniture a part of your home? Or do you see it as the stuff inside your home?

Here’s the thing.

We’re all used to see an interior as a set of layers. The first layer are surfaces that define space – walls, floors, ceilings. Then there are floor and wall finishes. Curtains and carpets, maybe. Furniture comes next, just before decorations.

And usually, that’s not only how we see interiors, but also how we design them – one layer at the time.

Actually, most of the trending homes on Pinterest are designed that way. Designed as a space filled with pretty stuff.

They look good and stylish. You probably like them. We like them, too.

Yet, you might have noticed we don’t feature that type of interiors. Partly because there’s not much to say about them, but mostly because our goal is not to show you what to buy. It’s not even to show you what we think you should like.

Most of the time, it’s not important if you like the interiors we feature. We hope you do because you probably won’t take the time to read about something you dislike, and one of the biggest fears bloggers share is publishing posts no one reads. But what’s important is the understanding why architects/interior designers designed something the way they did, in order to learn how to use those ideas and create a space that’s ideal for you. Continue reading “Why we love raw concrete in interiors pt.2”→

Would you believe us if we said there’s a big chance you’re already living in a perfect apartment?

You’re probably looking around, finding it hard to believe. We get it. Just a few weeks ago, in this post, we claimed we don’t live in perfect apartments. But we love to be proven wrong.

Why? Because once we realize we were wrong about something, it opens up a whole range of new possibilities. And for us, interior design is all about endless possibilities.

So we found the best examples to show you what we mean. And no matter if you’re a kind of reader who just looks at pictures or the one who also reads the text, you might want to stick around. We’re saving a little piece of information for the very end, convinced it will come to you as a surprise. It sure was a surprise for us!

Posts navigation

ABOUT US

We are Tina and Petra, two aunts, architects and blog partners at upgradesign.blog.
Our mission is to provide simple, useful and inspirational tips to help you design functional, clutter-free and beautiful personal space.